LAYTONVILLE >> The Upper Lake Cougars didn’t need to win on the game’s final play this time. On Friday night against Laytonville, they scored early enough and often enough to make sure this year’s meeting was nowhere near as close as last season’s 42-38 shootout victory, also at Laytonville.
Upper Lake defeated Laytonville 20-6 to improve to 4-0 in the North Central League III North standings, which is the same record South Fork has after beating Anderson Valley 78-6 on Friday night in Boonville. The North’s co-leaders were scheduled to play last week in Upper Lake until that game was canceled because of the unhealthy air quality caused by North Coast fires that broke out Oct. 8.
Instead they’ll meet next Friday in Upper Lake in a winner-take-all North showdown.
Dante Bassignani powered Upper Lake’s offense on Friday night with 153 rushing yards on 21 carries. His touchdown run in the first quarter put the Cougars (4-0 league, 6-1 overall) ahead to stay.
“He was huge for us tonight,” Upper Lake co-head coach Vince Moran said. “And he keeps getting better and better each week.”
Upper Lake added another touchdown in the second quarter, this time on a 25-yard pass from quarterback Ray Moran to Eddie Crandell, to take a 12-0 lead into halftime.
The Cougars received the second-half kickoff and wasted no time adding to their lead as Hank Nevarez returned it for a touchdown and Jacob Kalawaia (15 carries for 56 yards) added the conversion run to make it 20-0. Laytonville closed to 20-6 later in the third quarter but that’s all the points the Upper Lake defense would allow. The Cougars forced three turnovers, including a Bassignani interception, and sacked Laytonville’s quarterback three times, twice by Kahlil George.
The Cougars didn’t help themselves with penalties, according to Moran.
“We had over 200 yards worth,” he said.
But it was Laytonville’s overall team speed and athletic ability that kept this year’s meeting a fairly low-scoring affair, according to Moran.
“They match up real well with us,” Moran said. “They’re quick, they fly around the field and they hit real well. It’s always a close game when we play them.”
